The Dallas Mavericks (38-42) wrap up their regular season home schedule Friday with a tip at 7:30pm CST against the Toronto Raptors (30-50). Though only the Mavericks will have more games to play after the regular season ends, these two teams have been on opposite trajectories the last week. Dallas enters this one having dropped its last three games, falling to the Clippers twice and then the Lakers Wednesday in games decided by an average of 23 points. The Raptors ride a two-game win streak into American Airlines Center, beating the Nets Sunday and the Hornets Wednesday by an average margin of 20.5 points.
Ground floor dinosaurs
This Raptors season has not gone according to plan, with the veteran trio of forwards Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett and point guard Immanuel Quickley unable to get much floor time together due to injuries. Wednesday’s game, in which Barnes played 20 minutes and Barrett and Quickley played 14 apiece, was their first game together since March 14. In their absence, the most compelling story of this part of the Raptors’ season has centered around coach Darko Rajakovic’s bringing along a handful of young players who could one day form the core of a competitor. Point guard Jamal Shead, power forward Jonathan Mogbo, shooting guards Ja’Kobe Walter and former Maverick AJ Lawson, have all seen an increase in playing time since March, using that opportunity to blossom in their own ways. Shead is an aggressive defender who has shown a willingness to launch from three; while he’s shooting below league average he would do well to emulate his teammate Ochai Agbaji, who is making threes at a .391 clip this year after shooting .217 from deep as a Raptor last season. Mogbo, another tough defender who is also a skilled passer from the high post, collected the first triple double of his career Wednesday. Lawson, who seems to have finally found a home in his native Canada, returns to his old home in Dallas having scored in double figures in four of his last five games.
Big and rich
The Mavericks have the size to create real matchup problems for Toronto. At 6’3” and 6’1” respectively, Quickley and Shead will have their work cut out for them guarding 6’5” Spencer Dinwiddie and 6’7” Naji Marshall. Caleb Martin and PJ Washington compound the issue with their length and ability to guard multiple positions. Opposing bigs have also made hay against the Raptors lately, especially when center Jakob Poeltl has been off the floor. In Poeltl’s absence, Jusuf Nurkic led the Hornets with 27 points, and Deni Avdija scored 26 for Portland last week. Even with Poeltl, the Raptors don’t have a lot of counters for Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively II.
Point/counterpoint
Besides size, the Mavericks’ other edge in this game comes from their experience. This bunch hasn’t been playing together long but are a veteran group with a lot of wins between them, and even Dallas’ younger players like Lively have been battle-tested in deep playoff runs. Toronto’s answer for that could come from the pace they have played with since embracing their youth movement in the late part of the season. It doesn’t always work out for them as they shoot .458 from the field but they push the ball and play up-tempo, and the Mavericks will have to come out with more energy than they showed against the Lakers Wednesday.
How to watch/listen
You can watch the game on KFAA Channel 29 or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1 FM KEGL (English) and 99.1 FM KFZO (Español).
